Process and machine for treating wool.



L. A] BEECHER, PROCESS AND MACHINE FOR TREATING WOOL.

APPLICATION FILED APR. i]. IQIB.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

ATTORNEY- the material either by T QFFTGE LOUIS A. BEECHER, F W EST IBARRINGTON, RHODE ISLAND.

PROCESS AND MACHINE FOR TREATING WOOL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedDec. 17, 1918.

Application filed April 11, 1918. Serial No. 228,013.

To all whom it may concern: a

Be it known that I, LOUIS A. BEEOHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at West Barrington, in the county of Bristol and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement'in Processes and Machines for Treating Wool, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a process and machine for treating wool, and it resides in an improved method and apparatus for drying, carbonizing and dusting the Wool in one continuous operation.

In the wet process. of carbonizing wool,

the wool or cloth containing the WOOl is initially dipped in a very weak acid solution of such strength as not to harm the wool, after which as much of the liquid is removed by mechanical means, such as a centrifugal extractor or squeeze rolls, as is practical. The third step resides in drying the application of heat direct, or indirectly by circulating warm air over and through the stock. As a fourth step, the dried material is subjected to a high-temperature, ranging from 180 to 2i0, depending upon the acid employed, the strength of the solutidn, and the nature of the material to be carbonized. The fifth step is dusting the stock to free it of carbon dust following which a sixth step is carried out, namely, washing the dusted stock and, where required, neutralize the acid remaining with an alkali. Finall the liquid is extracted and the wool dried. v r

The various steps not only consume much time and labor but the methods of practising them are expensive and wasteful. With the present invention,.the third, fourth and fifth steps, 2'. e., the drying, carbonizing and dusting are expeditiously carried out in one continuous operation without any at- 'tention to or handling of the stock by the operatives.

In the drawings Figure 1 constitutes a continuous view in side elevation of the improved machine, por; tions being omitted and others depicted in section, and

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a revolving barrel or cylinder which is opened at both ends and is either tapered, so that the material fed in at the smaller end will travel through to the opposite end, or is of constant diameter and equipped with an internal spiral rib to force the stock along the barrel volves. This barrel is revolubly supported by longitudinally spaced roller bearings 2 which are journaled in standard bearings 3 and operate on peripheral tracks 1 on said barrel. At one end, preferably the delivery end, the barrel is equipped with a peripheral rack 5 that meshes with a pinion 6 on shaft 7, which shaft is journaled in suitable standard bearings 8 and carries the fixed and loose pulleys 9 to be driven by a belt.

The barrel is inclosed by a casing or housing 10 having an inlet 11 in its front wall and a discharge 12 in its bottom wall adjacent the rear wall. The wet stock is fed through the inlet 11 down the chute 13 and into the receiving end of the barrel a trap or self-closing door 11 being hinge to the front wall to close the inlet 11 when the wool is not passing therethrough.-

Although the entire length of the barrel, which may be constructed either of metal or wood, is sometimes perforated, only one section 15 of the shell is thus made foraminous as the latter rewhich section is preferably devoted to carbonizlng the wool and is located near the discharge en I raminous section permit the dust tov be blown or separated from the stock, said dust beingarrested and collected by a fine screen 16 that surrounds this section in spaced relation and opens downwardly through a discharge chute 17 in the floor of the housing. At both ends of the dust section 15 are arranged partitions 18 which inclose the screen and define a dust chamber entirely segregated from the remainder of the housing, the joint between the partitions and the barrel being packed with felt.

Numeral 19 designates a blower having an air inlet 20 and an outlet pipe 21 which is led into the housing and extended axially into the discharge end of the barrel, terminating in the dust section 15 with a taper, as depicted. Leading through the top of the housing, directly above the dust section, is an air return conduit 22 which communicates with a coil box or heating chamber 23.

The returned air is reheated and the fresh air entering the box is heated in the present instance by a series of steam coils connected The perforations in this foautomatic the stock.

to a supply pipe 2 in which is inserted an valve 25 under the control of a thermostat 26 located in the outlet side of the blower. While the major portion of the olume of air discharged from the pipe 21 passes longitudinally through the barrel, a comparatively small quantity is discharge laterally within the dust chamber through a plurality of apertures 27 provided in said I pipe, such lateral discharge being augmented by the tapering, of the inner end of the pipe.

in practice, air from without the system as well as from the return conduit is drawn in across the hot surface of the coils within the box and caused to enter inlet 20 of the blower from which it is discharged through pipe 21. This discharged air is heated to the proper wool which temperature is regulated by the thermostatic control and thereby insuring a constant and regular drying atmosphere. Through the lateral perforations 27 the air is fed a considerabledistance within the dust and carbonizing chamber, a portion'of the air in the carbonizing section being used to force the dust through the perforations of the section 15. T his air still being hot passes through the screen and returns'to the heating box. The bulk of the air emerges from the, end of pipe 21 and passes through the cylinder or barrel axially, drying and warming the stock as it rolls and tumbles therein and finally flows out of the receiving end of the barrel in a comparatively cooled condition heavily laden with moisture. A chimney 28 provides a way of escape for this moist air.

Thus, a quick and thorough drying occurs, being facilitated by the tumbling action of A softer obtained. Uniform results are afforded by the automatic temperature control which also enables the operation at a lower temperature, and by the heated air flowing opposite to the movement of the stock thorough penetration and agitation of the stock is obtained.

Having thus described my inventiomwhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. The process of treating wool, consistin in feeding acid-treated wool in one end of a barrel, revolving said barrel so as to tumble and agitate the wool in its travel to the opposite'end thereof, and directing a blast. of heated air into the latter end of the barrel.

2. The process of treating wool, consisting in feeding acid-treated wool in one end of a barrel, revolving said barrel so as to tumble and agitate the wool to the opposite end thereof, a portion of the barrel being perforated, and directing a blast of heated air into the latter and of temperature for carbonizing the feel to the stock is also in its travel.

barrel opened at both barrel opened menace the barrel axially thereof, and radially thereof within the perforated section of the barrel.

3. A wool treating machine comprising a barrel opened at both ends, roller bearings revolubly revolving the barrel, a housing inclosing the barrel and formed at one end with a doorway closed by a trap door, a chute leading from the doorway to the adjacent end of the barrel for feeding wool thereto, said forward end of the housing having an outlet, a ,erforated carbonizing section included in the barrel adjacentits delivery end, a screen surrounding .the perforated section and opening through the lower side of the housing, and means for delivering a blast of heated air axially through the delivery end of the barrel and radially within the perforated section.

.4. A. wool treating machlne comprising a barrel opened at both ends, roller bearings revolubly supporting the barrel,- means for revolving the barrel, a housing inclosing the barrel and formed at one end with a doorway closed by a trap door, a chute leading from the doorwav to the'adjacent end of the barrel for feeding wool thereto, said forward end of the housing having an outlet, a perforated carbonizing section included in the barrel adjacent its delivery end, a screen surrounding the perforated-section and opening through the lower side of the housing, partitions within the housing including the screen and perforated section for defining a dust chamber, and means for delivering a blast of air axially and radially within the barrel and its perforated section.

5. A wool treating machine comprising a ends, roller bearings revolubly supporting the barrel, means for revolving the barrel, a housing inclosing the barrel and formed at one end with a doorway closed by a trap door,'a chute leading from the doorway to the adjacentend of the barrel for feeding wool thereto, said forward end of the housing having an out let, a perforated carbonizing section included in the'barrel adjacent its delivery.

of the housing, partitions within the hous:

ing including the screen and perforated section for defining a dust chamber, an air pipe leading axially through the delivery end of the barrel and having a perforated tapering terminal within the perforated section, and means for delivering a blast of air to the pipe.

6. A wool treating machine comprising a at both ends, roller bearings revolubly supporting the barrel, means for revolving the barrel, a housing inclosing the barrel and formed at one end with a doorsupporting the barrel, means for way closed by a trap door, a chute leading i revolubly supporting the barrel, means for revolving the barrel, a housing inclosing the barrel and formed at one end with a doorway closed bv a trap door a chute leading end, a- 7 section opening through the lower side of the housing, partitions within the housing including the screen and perforated secti i for defining air pipe I axially through tie delivery end 3b a perforated porthe perforated section of the I ower connected to the pipe, a heating chamber connected to the inlet of the ower, an air return conduit connecting the dust chamber heating chainfor the heater, and a thermostatic control ingof the chamber.

n a wool treating machine, means for tumbling the wool in a container, and means for directing a carbonizing blast of air into the container.

dry and carbonlze the WOOl and"'bl0W t e dust therefrom through the perforations of the container.

11 testimony whereof I have name to this specification in the two subscribing Witnesses.

LOUIS A. BEEOHER' Witnesses:

ADA E. HAGERTY, J. A. MILLER. 

